Heroics at the beach: editorial

View full sizeScott Shaw, The Plain DealerHuntington Beach in Bay Village was closed last Monday morning after several people had to be rescued from a rip tide. One of them, Laura Recco, died on Wednesday.

It took courage for a Metroparks lifeguard and a Navy veteran to leap into a Lake Erie that had suddenly turned murderous on Monday.

Recco and Diamond were at Huntington Beach in Bay Village for an outing with the PEP Hopewell Day Treatment Center in Cleveland. Recco was helping to supervise the children, who were wading. She tried to grab Diamond as the current took her, but then both were swept away.

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The lessons for the those who enjoy the lake are clear:

• Wading is no guarantee of safety, especially for younger children.

• It's best not to go in the water if no lifeguard is on duty -- as was the case Monday morning shortly before 11 a.m. at Huntington. Pesarchick was just arriving for work when he heard cries for help.

• Anyone caught in a rip tide should not fight directly against it, but swim parallel to shore until the current slackens.

If not for the rescuers' quick, selfless action, Monday's incident could have been much worse.

The lake is fickle, and the power of wind and water cannot be underestimated.

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